In Too Deep
(Due South #1)
by
Pub December 19th 2013
by Icon Publishing
ARC for Review
Summary
Love small-town romance with an unforgettable cast of characters? The Due South series will transport you to an unspoilt, wild island off the coast of New Zealand. Meet Piper and West...
She vowed never to return.
To save her brother from financial ruin, Piper Harland must do the one thing she swore she'd never do—return to the tiny island hometown where Ryan "West" Westlake crushed her heart. Piper is tough, resilient and a little wild—much like the remote and beautiful Stewart Island where she grew up. As a cop who's part of the elite New Zealand Police National Dive Squad, bringing the dead back to their families still doesn't stop the guilt she feels over her father's drowning death. Now nine years later she's obligated to return to a hostile community as the outsider, and forced to work with the man who was once her best friend and first lover.
She's a risk he can't take.
West is an Island man, through and through. As owner of the local pub, he lives and breathes the local community, and sure as hell can't imagine living anywhere else. But most of all he refuses to ever fall for a woman like his flighty mother. He lost Piper once to give her the chance to fulfil her dreams of becoming a cop. But now she's back for an unexpected six week visit to help her brother—his best mate. Maybe West wants her a little bit, maybe he can't resist the temptation to tease and touch her, but can he fall in love with such a flight risk?
Saying goodbye for the second time might just destroy them both.
Fresh...Seductive...Heart-warming...
And enough steaminess to make your toes curl! Intended for mature 18+ aged readers.
She vowed never to return.
To save her brother from financial ruin, Piper Harland must do the one thing she swore she'd never do—return to the tiny island hometown where Ryan "West" Westlake crushed her heart. Piper is tough, resilient and a little wild—much like the remote and beautiful Stewart Island where she grew up. As a cop who's part of the elite New Zealand Police National Dive Squad, bringing the dead back to their families still doesn't stop the guilt she feels over her father's drowning death. Now nine years later she's obligated to return to a hostile community as the outsider, and forced to work with the man who was once her best friend and first lover.
She's a risk he can't take.
West is an Island man, through and through. As owner of the local pub, he lives and breathes the local community, and sure as hell can't imagine living anywhere else. But most of all he refuses to ever fall for a woman like his flighty mother. He lost Piper once to give her the chance to fulfil her dreams of becoming a cop. But now she's back for an unexpected six week visit to help her brother—his best mate. Maybe West wants her a little bit, maybe he can't resist the temptation to tease and touch her, but can he fall in love with such a flight risk?
Saying goodbye for the second time might just destroy them both.
Fresh...Seductive...Heart-warming...
And enough steaminess to make your toes curl! Intended for mature 18+ aged readers.
Watch out for Sharks!
In Too Deep was a solid read for me. Just enough drama some heavy petting and lots of tension until the final blowout. The story centralizes around Piper and West and let me tell you these two characters have some serious history. There is a bit of mystery in the book because as I was reading it I knew Piper blamed herself for her father’s death but the why came towards the end of the story. Piper grew up in a tight nit family within a tight nit community. Her father dies in a tragic accident and shortly after she disappeared to follow her dreams and hasn’t been back since. Now her family needs her and she needs a break so she returns to do what she can for her brother. She knows she isn’t ready to see West again but she also knows she will never be ready to see him. I enjoyed watching these two dance around each other and try to hide how they feel though everyone else saw right through their charade.
I-nvestigation, working for a prestigious dive team is a dream come true for Piper but more so because she feels the need to atone for her past mistakes.
N-aïve, out running her past was a bad idea now the ghosts threaten to bring her under. The panic she feels isn’t something that can be treated lightly Piper knows something must be done.
T-ime, so much has passed but coming home it seems not much has changed. Determined to help her brother Piper will do what it takes even if it means working with the person who destroyed her heart so long ago.
O-pportunity, while Ben is out due to an injury West and Piper will work together on different types of charters to help him out of a debt that could cause him to lose everything.
O-bligation, living together was not something Piper had in mind to do with West but being so close growing up neither of them have a choice. The tension is becoming palpable and soon their resolve will break.
D-reams, so long ago Piper wanted one thing and West knew she couldn’t accomplish it at home so he did the unthinkable and destroyed the heart of the girl who held his. Piper’s devastation is something West has carried all of these years he knows what must be done but is too scared of the outcome.
E-lude, the feelings Piper has tried to run from have come surfacing back with a force. Through community she knows where she belongs but she has been broken before and the fear is what pushes her away.
E-vents, bringing the past to light is something Piper never imagined but so many things happened that she was unaware of things may have been different had she known. Though it was hard for her family to bare everything now that the truth is out dealing with the pain of her past is something she knows she will accomplish.
P-ursue, fear has crippled both Piper and West but a future without the other is worse than any heart break. Both of them will do what it takes and swallow their pride because loving each other is what they most need. Beyond everything else.
The ending was absolutely adorable I loved seeing the community together and I felt as though West finally tore down his walls for Piper which was really nice to see. The job for Piper became something that wasn’t really her, this story was the telling of her self discovery. West was an amazing character I really enjoyed him because although he hurt Piper it was something he did for her as well as self preservation, we come to find out the how and why but best of all he finds a way to let go of his own demons for her. Piper’s brother was a total jerk to her throughout the book but by the end he makes his amends and we come to understand why he is the way he is. The writing was solid and kept me engaged so I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from Ms Alvarez and the Due South Series. Next up we have Ben’s story which I’m totally looking forward to being in his head!
My Rating
4.0 Dive, Death, Ferry, Broken Ankle, Sharks, Romantic Cruise, Family Meetings, Rugby Game, Beached Whales, Charity Event, 500$, 2000$, Sugared Engine, Funeral, Confessions, Two Rings, Last chance, Life Long Love filled stars! For a good romance with plenty of sun water and sharks check out this book!
Melting Into You
(Due South #2)
by
Pub June 8th 2014
by Icon Publishing
ARC for Review
Summary
Big, sexy men who don’t relate well to kids need not apply…
Kezia Murphy plays her widow card well. When you don’t trust people not to let you down, it’s easier to not get involved—and getting involved with a man who makes her skin sizzle just by looking at him would be una pazzia—crazy! Four years ago while Kezia’s daughter, Zoe, battled leukaemia, a tragic accident stole her husband’s life. Starting over in the little town of Oban where she’s adopted into the close knit community on Stewart Island, Kezia and her daughter are all the family the other needs. Except Zoe yearns for more.
New Zealand’s worst candidate for instant fatherhood…
Ben doesn’t do gooey emotional stuff. He doesn’t do cosy home and family. And he sure isn’t the big teddy-bear Kezia Murphy, the woman he secretly fantasises about, thinks he is. So when Jade, his surprise eight-year-old daughter arrives on his doorstep, he’s a D-minus student struggling to pass a crash-course in parenting.
They’ll either melt or raze their lives to the ground…
When the sparks of attraction between Kezia and Ben fan into an inferno, Ben doesn’t know how much longer the layers of resistance around his heart can resist melting into the gooey mess he fears. The more he fights it the harder it is to make the choice that will destroy the family he now longs to claim.
Kezia Murphy plays her widow card well. When you don’t trust people not to let you down, it’s easier to not get involved—and getting involved with a man who makes her skin sizzle just by looking at him would be una pazzia—crazy! Four years ago while Kezia’s daughter, Zoe, battled leukaemia, a tragic accident stole her husband’s life. Starting over in the little town of Oban where she’s adopted into the close knit community on Stewart Island, Kezia and her daughter are all the family the other needs. Except Zoe yearns for more.
New Zealand’s worst candidate for instant fatherhood…
Ben doesn’t do gooey emotional stuff. He doesn’t do cosy home and family. And he sure isn’t the big teddy-bear Kezia Murphy, the woman he secretly fantasises about, thinks he is. So when Jade, his surprise eight-year-old daughter arrives on his doorstep, he’s a D-minus student struggling to pass a crash-course in parenting.
They’ll either melt or raze their lives to the ground…
When the sparks of attraction between Kezia and Ben fan into an inferno, Ben doesn’t know how much longer the layers of resistance around his heart can resist melting into the gooey mess he fears. The more he fights it the harder it is to make the choice that will destroy the family he now longs to claim.
About The Author
Tracey Alvarez lives in the Coolest Little Capital in the World (a.k.a Wellington, New Zealand) where she’s yet to be buried under her to-be-read book pile by Wellington’s infamous wind—her Kindle’s a lifesaver! Married to a wonderfully supportive IT guy, she has two teens who would love to be surgically linked to their electronic devices.
Fuelled by copious amounts of coffee, she’s the author of contemporary romantic fiction set predominantly in New Zealand. Small-towns, close communities, and families are a big part of the heart-warming stories she writes. Oh, and hot, down-to-earth heroes—Kiwi men, in other words.
When she’s not writing, thinking about writing, or procrastinating about writing, Tracey can be found reading sexy books of all romance genres, nibbling on smuggled chocolate bars, or bribing her kids to take over the housework.
This looks like a nice couple of beach reads. Glad you enjoyed.
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